The government has reanalyzed a previous case of abduction committed by North Korea and has adjusted the total number of South Koreans abducted by the communist state.

The Unification Ministry said it decided to acknowledge the case of a South Korean ship abducted by the North back in 1966.

The Gilyong was formerly thought to have been seized by a Chinese ship while fishing in the West Sea.

Fifteen fishermen were on the ship at the time of the hijacking, but only one of the crew members had been officially recognized as an abductee.

Accordingly, the ministry said the number of abductees has increased by 14, and now stands at 494.